Over the course of this past weekend, nearly two dozen hopefuls ventured to Gibsonville, North Carolina to take part in the Lion's Den Fighting Championships tryout camp. Lead by Head Trainer Chris Bond and Assistant Head Trainer Riley Owens, LDFC instructors put these aspiring wrestlers through drills that tested their strength and conditioning. Also under evaluation were in-ring technique, attitude, promos, appearance, mindset and potential. Out of the nearly two dozen men and women that attended, these were the three that stood out the most.
Name: “Free Spirit” Boyd Garrison
Twitter: @FreeSpiritBoyd
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 207 lbs
Hometown: Wilkes-Barre, PA
Bio: Boyd Garrison hails from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and is a former minor league and Japanese league baseball player. However, during early 2014, before the start of the 2014 MLB season, Boyd decided to leave baseball as a career. Throughout the rest of 2014, Boyd spent his time letting his inner Free Spirit come out (performed skydiving, snowboarding on large mountains, mountain climbing, etc.). During that time, Boyd also went to different countries to see the sights, even catching multiple lucha libre wrestling and puroresu shows, falling in love with wrestling. Boyd eventually got into wrestling training after talking to good friend Zack Jones about it, joining Snapmare Academy in Louisville about two months ago.
Tryout Notes: There was no doubt amongst the instructors who wanted this the most. Garrison's enthusiasm was off the charts. His willingness to do any drill and dive head-first into any exercise was duly noted. While the instructors loved his speed and agility, there were certain areas that were not up to par. Even though Garrison ultimately did not get the invite to join LDFC, it is said that he has been invited to the next camp, free of charge, later this year.
Name: Emily Carter
Twitter: @RealEmilyCarter
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 134 lbs
Hometown: Westwood, MA
Bio: Emily Carter Davenport is the youngest of three children (two older brothers). As a teenager, she was always into sports. Especially volleyball and lacrosse, which she excelled in. But her interest in pro wrestling wasn’t peaked until an old boyfriend introduced her to the sport. From there, she was hooked. Soon, mainstream wrestling wasn’t enough for her. So she began to delve deeper, discovering independent wrestling. It was there that she came across a video of her then-estranged brother, Chandler Scott. Carter now finds herself entering the world of wrestling. But she isn’t trying to live off of her brother’s name. Instead, she has her own goals, which may or may not include surpassing everything he ever accomplished.
Name: Emily Carter
Twitter: @RealEmilyCarter
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 134 lbs
Hometown: Westwood, MA
Bio: Emily Carter Davenport is the youngest of three children (two older brothers). As a teenager, she was always into sports. Especially volleyball and lacrosse, which she excelled in. But her interest in pro wrestling wasn’t peaked until an old boyfriend introduced her to the sport. From there, she was hooked. Soon, mainstream wrestling wasn’t enough for her. So she began to delve deeper, discovering independent wrestling. It was there that she came across a video of her then-estranged brother, Chandler Scott. Carter now finds herself entering the world of wrestling. But she isn’t trying to live off of her brother’s name. Instead, she has her own goals, which may or may not include surpassing everything he ever accomplished.
Tryout Notes: While one trainer indicated that her promo skills "left a lot to be desired," Carter seemed to impress during the drills and in-ring exercises. Her agility and endurance were highly praised. Carter has been invited to train at LDFC.
Name: Jensen Walczak
Twitter: @JensenWalczak
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 211 lbs
Hometown: Hoboken, NJ
Bio: Jensen Walczak first came into the wrestling business under the name Jensen Wolfe as part of The Family in HKW. Walczak was the main manager of wrestler and longtime friend, Rhys Baines. With Jensen as his manager, Baines went on to become the Interim HKW Lionheart champion. But Jensen left HKW after a DNA test proved he was the half brother of wrestlers Brandon and Felicity Banks. After patching some things up with them, Jensen began to train with legendary wrestler, Kerry Windsor, looking to go from manager to pro wrestler. He is about 2 months into training.
Name: Jensen Walczak
Twitter: @JensenWalczak
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 211 lbs
Hometown: Hoboken, NJ
Bio: Jensen Walczak first came into the wrestling business under the name Jensen Wolfe as part of The Family in HKW. Walczak was the main manager of wrestler and longtime friend, Rhys Baines. With Jensen as his manager, Baines went on to become the Interim HKW Lionheart champion. But Jensen left HKW after a DNA test proved he was the half brother of wrestlers Brandon and Felicity Banks. After patching some things up with them, Jensen began to train with legendary wrestler, Kerry Windsor, looking to go from manager to pro wrestler. He is about 2 months into training.
Tryout Notes: Walczak was described as a natural. Though given who his siblings are, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But as good as he was physically, it was on the mic that Walczak excelled, exhibiting great promo skills. Walczak has been invited to train at LDFC.
